Sorry Mike, but four months of quiet progress does not mean Geordies are ready to bow down and hail chief Ashley

By Simon Bird

Published 15:01 08/03/10

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Sit down, shut up and just be grateful you have been rescued by Big Mike, Newcastle fans.

There is clearly an unruly proportion of you who are very naughty boys and girls for continuing to shout nasty chants in the direction of the posh seats. It has got to stop.

So goes the opinion of United chief Derek Llambias, expressed with the usual trademark lack of humility and diplomacy.

Ticking off supporters in his match programme column on Saturday, Llambias took the tone of an exasperated school teacher attempting to bring a disruptive class under control.

Chanting is “ugly and abusive,” it “has to stop" and it is upsetting to Ashley and his family. Mike and Del Boy just want to be able to go for a pint on the Toon again to celebrate wins.

St James’ Park, if Llambias has his way, must become a dissent-free zone. Fans should revere the Ashley regime for this season’s achievements.

Deference and gratitude should be the prevailing mood, not the singing of a “small and negative group.”

The argument goes that Ashley is still pumping in his own cash to keep the club running - £280million so far - and he isn’t charging interest on his huge loans. That’s certainly a welcome contrast to the cost of debt Manchester United and Liverpool’s owners have saddled their club’s with.

Also Newcastle are top of the league - Ashley could argue because he financed a plan to keep a core of last season’s squad together - and not follow Alan Shearer’s plan to rip it up.

And top, because he forked out to fund Chris Hughton’s January signings and to prop up a £40m wage bill.

All are persuasive arguments. Yes, Ashley does deserve some credit for the frighteningly high level of his personal investment and taking a punt on promotion.

But his right-hand man Llambias has no right to order a stop to the dissenting voices from a hard core who want to keep the owner on his toes.

Llambias claimed Newcastle would have been in financial collapse if Ashley had not taken over.

I’d point out they’d have collapsed if 45,000 fans has not inexplicably stayed loyal and kept turning up, when events would have driven any sane, rational fan to stay away this season.

Llambias said: “Let me set the record straight about Mike’s commitment to Newcastle United. Since the beginning of the season, he has pumped £25.5million into this football club and this week, a further £5million was needed.”

That may be true, but Newcastle fans will pumped in a similar amount in gate receipts by the end of the season. Where was the acknowledgement and thanks for their recession beating loyalty?

If Newcastle want to start selling the case for Ashley, and winning him some friends it needs to be done with caution and humility, not hectoring lectures.

They have to realise respect is earned over the long term. It is only four months since they proposed selling the naming rights to St James’ Park. It is only six months since that damning verdict in Kevin Keegan’s tribunal, which found that club deliberately misled fans and betrayed Keegan.

The snubbing of Shearer, the lunacy of Kinnear’s reign, and memories of Dennis Wise are still fresh. I’ve still not heard a word of regret, or a sorry, spoken in the direction of Keegan or Shearer. That would be a good start.

Four months of quiet progress does not mean Geordies are ready to bow down and hail the chief Ashley.

The Level 7 hard core who still taunt him are right because every chorus is a reminder that his mistakes are not forgotten. A reminder that promotion this season is just the start of repairing the damage of last season.

Fans are not going to chant Ashley’s name in praise until he’s proved himself over several seasons. If he remains committed, gaff-free, keeps investing, makes the right calls in the next few years then maybe one day he’ll be rehabilitated.

But until then, one more time: “Get out of our.....”.

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